GAME REPORT

Galatasaray Scrape Important Win In Zagreb

Galatasaray Café Crown won 82-78 at KK Zagreb in the EuroChallenge for their second victory in four Group F games.

Hüseyin Besok had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Turkish team.

Murat Özyer, the Galatasaray coach, said: "It was a very important game for us to qualify from the group and our players have shown they could win although we were missing a couple of players."

Galatasaray fell behind 25-13 eight minutes into the first quarter but stormed back to take a 45-35 advantage at half-time.

KK Zagreb refused to go away, however, and twice pulled level in the fourth quarter at 60-60 and then 62-62.

But Gala kept their composure and went back in front.

A Besok lay-up extended the advantage to 75-68 with 1:49 to go.

They only led by three with six seconds remaining, however, when Cüneyt Erden went to the line for Gala.

He missed the first but made the second four a four-point advantage and that's how it finished.

Zagreb are now 1-3.

Krunoslav Simon of Zagreb said: "We lost a game because we played without motivation both in defense and offense. "We lost to a better team. Because of the defeat, we probably lost any chance of playing in the next rounds of this competition."

Denis Bajramovic, who replaced Zeljko Pavlicevic as Zagreb coach recently, admitted his team had a night to forget:"I take a big part of the responsibility for losing this game and this has been our worst game since I started coaching this team."

COACH QUOTES

Quotes KK Zagreb vs. Galatasaray Café Crown

Antonio Graves, Galatasaray player: "When we came here we knew we had to play a tough game, we wanted to put pressuer and we were sussessful in our defenSe, and physically better prepared and that helped us win."

Krunoslav Simon, Zagreb player: "We lost a game because we played without motivation both in defenSe and offense. We lost to a better team. Because of the defeat we probably lost any chances to play in the next rounds of this competition."

Murat Özyer, Galatasaray coach: "It was a very important game for us to qualify from the group and our players have shown they could win although we were missing a couple of players. I congratulate all my players who played in this game and we are looking forward playing the next two games."

Denis Bajramovic, Zagreb coach: "We had a good start, we were active and had good rhythm, played simply; but then we fell into a black hole. Some of the rotations we did they destroyed our good game. I take a big part of the responsibilty for losing this game and this has been our worst game since I started coaching this team."